<»."«^ 



^■C ■' ' ^' / 



October 15, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



I 



».':»^.<»^''yr»)''yr»i'^r»>'fer»>''yf»>''yr»>'fer»>'fer^'fe»>'- 



NOTES ON THE 



BEST LILACS 



I 



Thdr Value to Retail Florists. 



There can be no question but that the 

 lilacs are the most widely popular de- 

 ciduous shrubs grown in America today. 

 Their ease of culture, fragrance, free 

 flowering qualities, hardiness and com- 

 parative freedom from insect attacks are 

 all strong points in their favor. The 

 foliage appears early and hangs on very 

 late, in nearly all varieties retaining its 

 dark green color until it falls. Whether 

 as individual specimens or in masses, 

 lilacs are effective. Care, however, 

 should be taken not to mix varieties like 

 vulgaris, Chinensis and Persica, as the 

 habits vary so greatly and the blooming 

 period is not the same. 



As forcing subjects lilacs have never 

 attained the wide popularity here that 

 they hold in Europe, but a good number 

 are grown in winter near the big cities. 

 I do not intend in these notes to speak 

 on this branch of lilac culture, but 

 rather to advocate their being more 

 taken in hand by the general run of re- 

 tail florists for outdoor uses. Anyone 

 who has seen the annual displays of 

 th^se flowers at such places as the Ar- 

 nold Arboretum, Boston, or Highland 

 park, Rochester, and noted the crowds 

 of enthusiastic admirers, must admit 

 that they hold premier position among 

 outdoor flowering shrubs, and must at 

 the same time feel that here is a chance 

 for wide-awake florists to secure some 

 of the best sorts, grow, flower and sell 

 them to their customers. That they will 

 sell admits of no question. Ask any 

 prominent nurseryman if he ever has 

 any trouble in disposing of aU his good 

 lilacs. Your customers cannot all go to 

 the nurseries to see them in bloom, but 

 if florists have some bushy little plants, 

 each carrying even one good inflores- 

 cence, there will be no trouble in dis- 

 posing of them at profitable prices. 



Time to Plant. 



Fall, in my estimation, is ^~^uch bet- 

 ter time to plapt lilacs than /in spring, 

 and unless the ground will fieeze solid 

 very soon after planting, it is best to 

 do this work from October 20 to No- 

 vember 10 rather than wait for the 

 spring, when so many duties crowd. 

 There is far less probability of the 

 roots becoming dried out in fall than 

 in spring, and I have rarely lost a plant 

 at the former season. The nurseries are 

 overwhelmed with spring orders, but 

 now they can attend to customers 

 promptly and there is less likelihood of 

 varieties specially wanted being sold 

 out. 



Lilacs appreciate a rich soil, and do 

 best in a moderately moist one, where, 

 however, water wiU not stand in win- 

 ter. They will grow fairly well in quite 

 poor soil, but to see them at their best, 

 land well manured and deeply plowed or 

 spaded is required. Grafted plants are 

 mostly sold. These are preferable for 

 forcing, but own-root stock is preferable 

 for outdoor planting. The grafted 



plants sucker considerably, and if per- 

 chance a borer gets his work in on the 

 main stem) the whole plant is loot. 

 Syringa vulgaris and privet are a good 

 deal used for stocks. My experience of 

 the latter is not favorable. Grafting is 

 done in spring and budding in July and 

 August. TTie best way to propagate the 

 tarer sorts is by half ripened green 

 wood in a hotbed in June. Propagation 

 by layers and hardwood cuttings is also 

 carried out to some extent. 



After lilacs have flowered, all the in- 

 florescences should be removed; other- 

 wise these go to seed and considerably 



feared, as the plants are usually in a 

 dying condition before the nest is noted. 

 Burning affected plants is the most 

 wholesome remedy. 



Single Varieties. 



The named varieties of lilacs are now 

 numerous, many of the finest being in- 

 troduced by Lemoine, of Nancy, France. 

 From the time the first flowers open on 

 Syringa oblata until the tree lilacs, S. 

 Pekinensis and S. Japonica, have faded, 

 there is a six weeks' season of bV)om. 

 A condensed list of some of the most 

 desirable sorts in singles is as follows: 

 Marie Legraye, still unsurpassed among 

 whites; Frau Bertha Dammann and 

 Mme. Moser, also good whites; in dark 

 purples Philemon takes the lead and is 

 one of the finest lilacs in cultivation ; 

 the old Souvenir de Ludwig Spath is 

 also good; Rubra de Marley or Madlyen- 

 sis is a free blooming purple red variety ; 

 cserulea siiperba is a beautiful clear blue 

 when fully open; the well known Charles 

 X, with its big clusters of dark red 

 flowers; Gloire des Moulins and Am- 

 broise Verschaffelt aje excellent light 



Syringa Villosa. 



weaken the plants. At this time, also, 

 any necessary pruning can be done. 

 Spring and fall are unsuitable seasons 

 for this work. 



Lilacs are singularly free from insect 

 attacks. The borer already referred to 

 is sometimes troublesome, usually on old 

 plants. Oyster shell scale can be de- 

 stroyed liy washing the wood with a 

 strong solution of whale oil soap to 

 which has boon added a little kerosene. 

 San .lose scalo is the enemv most to be 



pink sorts; Macrostachya is also a glo 

 rious light pink variety, making a splen- 

 did plant. 



Double Varieties. 



While as a rule the singles are prefer- 

 able to the doubles, the latter persist in 

 flower much later than the former and 

 they include some beautiful sorts. A 

 few of the choicest are: Mme. Lemoine, 

 superb white, probably the finest double 

 in cultivation; President Carnot, pale 



<i 



